Final Fantasy X-3 (Chapter 8)
by WilliamBodiford
Summary: Here is the real Chapter 8. On a side note, to address a review I received: I post this chapter by chapter because I am still working on the story. When I have completed the story I ill post it in it's own fanfiction story. Enjoy.


Pyreflies

Vadina

While he was running across the bridges He was watching the three shoopuf split up, one went to the right towards the Travel Agency, one to the left into the alcove and the third crashed into Temple taking half of it down with it. He heard another crashing noise and looked to the right, seeing that one crushing the Travel Agency. He was going to run toward it to stop it but Shinra picked up the pace, saying "I got the Travel Agency, Payido go check on the one at the Temple, it may need healing. Vadina, go check the other third." "On it!" He replied then ran left.

When he got to it he looked into it's frightened eyes. It's fear multiplied three times and it spun around and began trying to climb the cliff. Vadina understood that it felt cornered and seeing the red eyes didn't help especially if Mortima is the one that spooked it. "Hey, hey calm down, bud! You're okay, everything will be fine!" Saying that did not help the shoopuf's fear. He felt helpless so he thought of water and imagined how it would help it relax and feel like it was swimming across the Moonflow. He was wrong, the beast panicked even more. He looked around for help and seen Jecht calm the other one down, He was about to yell for help when the shoopuf smacked him with it's snout, he cried out.

His vision whited out and he was winded but he could hear a lot of shouting. From what he could tell They were arguing and he heard the word 'beast' being thrown around. 'Great so we help them and they call us beasts? No, Jecht. Mortima did tell the Temple's people what she said she would.' Vadina thought to himself in disdain. "Wait! Vadina!" his vision cleared completely at the sound of Jecht's voice, it was coated in fear. Then he saw the shoopuf about to sit on him and next thing he knew, he was squeezing himself against the cliff as the shoopuf plopped and he felt the ground shake. "No!" he had never heard so much sorrow in anyone's voice like he did in Jecht's in that moment. He heard Jecht sobbing, he must be on the other side og the shoopuf. He stood up and gathered his voice before shouting "I-I'm okay!"

"Vadina? Oh my god! Thank Goodness you're okay!" Jecht's relief was touching and he could see the sincerity in his tear filled eyes when he moved to where he could see him standing there. The adrenaline was starting to wear off so he started brainstorming how to get from behind the shoopuf. Maybe he could climb on the shoopuf? Nah, that would just scare it again. "I think I'm going to try to squeeze between it and the cliff, I just have to-OW!" He finished in a cry of pain as he tried lifting his arm, "What is it? What's wrong?" He looked at his arm and seen that it was broken, to the point that his bone was sticking out. "My arm is broken."

"Okay. I'll come and get you. Hang tight, kid." He heard Shinra say then a few moments later he was right beside him. Vadina jumped in surprise which hurt his arm even more and he cried out in pain again. "S-sorry. Ouch, that looks painful. Here, grab my hand with your good arm." Vadina did so "There we go. One. Two. Three." He felt a tug from inside his abdomine then next thing he knew he was on the ground in front of the shoopuf that got spooked again and stood up. "Move!" Jecht and Payido said at the same time and the beast began rampaging again, Vadin felt the tug again and they were a little further from it. "Jecht! Calm it down!" Shinra shouted "On it!" was his response and the air around him begain to glow again and Vadina felt relaxed and he looked at the shoopuf and seen it relax again and lay down.

Vadina looked back of his lover and seen the triumph shine in his eyes. "So, will you all be leaving now?" A stern old lady asked "Yes. As soon as our healer helps him." "Good!" She responded. Vadina wanted to zap her so bad but he knew if he did she would probably have a heart attack.

Payido

She was seriously getting tired of these people, especially the old hag that 'just couldn't wait for them to leave'. "Mary Ann, enough. Please." Payido turned to see an Al Bhed guy walk up and rest his hand on her shoulder and squeeze. "But, Maytan, they are the one's the girl warned us about the other day!" Mary Ann retorted he shook his head and squeezed her shoulder again "They may be but I was at the Moonflow when the girl that 'warned us' arrived a bit ago and began demanding answers to some truly strange questions. The ones who did not have the answers to her questions or at least the answers she liked..." He cut off. "What about them?" Shinra asked. "She mutilated them with a truly dangerous looking scythe that released black clouds of smoke that killed others. The shoopuf picked up on the Darkness that pulsed with every swing of her scythe. That is what sent them on their stampede." Mary Ann's eyes widened drastically.

"How did you survive, Maytan, was it?" Payido asked. "Ma'am." He nodded "I seen her coming just off the coast and jumped into the brush to hide when I seen her floating on a cloud of ominous smoke, truly cowardly of me, I know." "It's fine, as long as you're fine and able to bring this knowledge to us." Shinra said, Payido picked up on his jealous stance. 'What was with him, we are just speaking.' She thought to herself. "Thank you-?" "Shinra. Nice to meet you, sir." "My pleasure.' He said with a smile and looked him up and down. She heard Vadina snicker behind her then she remembered his injuries. "Vadina, lie back for me?" She asked him as she turned around.

"Shinra, can you re-set his arm so I can heal it?" "Sure thing, Beauty." "Cred! I don't have anything to wrap his arm with." Payido swore in Al Bhed. "Ah, don't worry ma'am. I've got it." Maytan grabbed his shirt at the bottom with his arms crossed and pulled it over his head. "Here you are." He handed it to her but she barely spared a glance. She couldn't say the same for Vadina and Jecht, though. "Good, we need you to be distracted, this will hurt quite a bit." "What?" Vadina asked "You'll see. Jecht I need you to keep the shoopuf calm, please? Vadina too." The boy shook hard and stammered "O-of course." and pulled his gaze from the man. When she felt the calm in the air she said "Shinra, now." Shinra got a good grip on the boy's broken arm and tugged hard.

There was a greusome crunching sound and Vadina screamed in pain. That was her que to focus on healing him. Thankfully Shinra was sitting on his legs and she was holding his other arm, because he began to start flailing, the boy would have definately knocked both of them out. She focused her magic on channeling it through her hands and into the boys arm, visualizing the bones reconnecting. She felt a few dull snaps under her grasp while Vadina was still crying out in agony. The calm in the air began to faulter. "Jecht, focus. I'm just about done." "Y-y-yes ma'am. It's just hard to do with him being in pain." He responded. Feeling the calm gain it's strength back she decided to absorb it and channel it into Vadina to get him to relax a bit more. After a few minutes the last fiber of his bone reconnected and he stopped crying. She released his arm and looked at him. "Keep it wrapped and in the sling. It's going to take a bit of time to feel proper again." "Dryhg oui, Payido." He gasped then fainted. She was shocked that he spoke Al Bhed to her but it was more important that his arm was healed. "He's been trying to learn Al Bhed. He tried knocking me out with one of the books before." Jecht said with a smile. He must have seen her reaction. She pulled out one of her arrows and imbued it with the remainder of Jecht's calming magic and some of her White Magic then ripped the shirt up to create a makshift sling for Vadina's arm. "The magic in the arrow should continue to help while he wears the sling on his arm." She explained.

Mortima

In the distance she could see the Moonflow, where her Temple had sank. She frowned slightly but shook it off wondering how Summoners were able to get the final Aeon without merging with her. As she neared the shore she was slightly startled to see gigantic beasts with long snouts standing there. "What is that?" She asked aloud. She made it to the shore and walked up to the tiny blue creature with a terrible lisp and it looked at her and asked "Ride ze shoopuf?" "Is that what that is?" she pointed at the beast "Yesh." the creature answered sounding, to her, sarcastic. "Do you mock me, creature?" It looked at her with it's eyes wide and arms waving in front of it, "No mish, I ish hypello. Ish how we shpeak, yesh." She looked at him skeptically then heard others laughing behind her "She dosn't know what a Shoopuf is or a Hypello? What back water island is she from?" She rounded on the speaking woman in a second and rushed up to her gripping her throat tightly.

"I am from here, the Temple of the Moonflow. I am the Aeon of Death, Mortima. I demand respect, girl!" She shouted, her vision growing red. "I-I'm sorry ma'am." She struggled for air when Mortima released her. "Pardon my asking, but did you say 'Temple of the Moonflow'?" The woman gasped some more. "Yes. Before the city sank I was the Fayth of it's Temple." She was in the woman's face now. "Now. I have some questioned for all you." The woman was shocked but looked at her slightly disbelievingly. "Y-yes?" Mortima cleared her throat and stood up straight. "If none of you answer them I will kill all of you." She looked at the fear in all the eyes that were looking at her. "As I have said, I am Mortima, Aeon of Death." She stood up straight and faced them all and continued, "As you all know, we Fayth willingly gave up our lives to become what we are, or were, as of twenty years ago. I could tell you all of our reasons but I do not wish to prolong my answers so I will share my reason for sacrificing myself." They all looked at her, dumb founded.

Apalled by the murmurs of disbelief, she conjured her scythe and struck down the woman she had just choked and she crumpled to the ground into a cloud of Pyreflies. The others quieted immediately. "Now, listen up!" She waited for all of them to give her their undivided attention before continuing. "Before the time of Sin, there was a war between Bevelle and Zanarkand. As you all know, Zanarkand was left in ruin and the summoner Yu Yevon created a shell that could house his soul after his death so that he could seek revenge on Bevelle, who had killed him and adopted his name as their religion. I did not agree with his plan for eternal vengeance that would destroy the entire world. But that was before Bevelle, no, Spira did me wrong almost as they did him. At any rate, after Sin was created it killed two of my three children. I became a Fayth for the Temple here in Moonflow city, before it sank into the river, to help destroy the creature and to ensure my third child survived to, if she wished it, become a Summoner so her and I could avenge her fallen siblings, twins I named Lucinia and Lucian. I wish to know what became of my little LuAnn? Surely 'Yevon' treated her better than they treated me."

There were any moments of silence as she waited for a response. She went to the nearest person and asked them "Do you have an answer for my question?" The man, obviously scared and not wanting to die just said "N-no ma'am. I'm s-" Before he could get his apology out, she struck him down. The others screamed and she spoke over them, "Now then, I will have an answer now!" An elderly woman stepped forward, skittish and said "Maybe check on the Farplane and converse with your daughter?" Mortima shouted "The Farplane is a barren land!" She walked up to the woman and said "Do you have another suggestion crone?" "M-maybe check Bevelle's archives?" Mortima shrieked and cut the woman down. "I tired of this! Maybe true fear will bring the answers I demand to your lips!"

Calling black smoke to her, she rose into the air and the belted dress she was fond of beginning to unbuckle. The belts were hanging loose as the rest of the dress changed into a cloak, the fur part expanding outward into a hood as her hair begain to levitate. Her scythe growing to match her mutated perportions and even more wicked looking. When her change was complete she consumed the Pyreflies from her recent victims and some from the water of the Moonflow. Several women shrieked, the elders of the group collapsed to the ground clutching their chests and arms creating food without effort for her to consume. The shoopufs began to stampede away down the road crushing some of the crowd while some of the men were running up to her with guns pointed at her, some with swords. She spread out her arms and the black smokey tendrils snaked out and pulled the brave ones into the thick of the smoke as Pyreflies began to float up and circle around her, funneling into her opened mouth.

She glared down at the remaining crowd with blazing red eyes and asked "Now, give me the answers I seek or you all will die!" The screams turned into mortified silence. A pale woman walked up to her bravely and said "I am a decendant of your child LuAnn, Therefore I am your decendant as well. I learned of my bloodline in the Bevelle archives. Please let everyone go, Mortima." She leaned don toward the brave woman, she believed her until she was close enough to the girl to see that her eyes were not the family traited red color. "You pathetic liar, you are no decendant of mine, your do not have my family eyes!" The pale womans expression of bravery faultered and Mortima knew she was right. She gripped her tightly and squeezed, feeling every bone in her body snap and watching her frame erupt into a cloud of Pyreflies for her consumption. "I bet that girls name was nothing close to my child's name. Anyone care to try with better answers or am I killin you all here?" She challenged. "None of us have the answers to your outrageous questions, fiend! If you kill us we shall never become your feast, we will live on in the Farplane! You say it's barren but you clearly have never been there!" A brave man stepped forward. She laughed and said "Fool! I am the Farplane! I consumed all the souls there!" She started spinning into the air with her scythe windmilling out creating a thicker cloud of smoke. When she stopped spinning she started swinging, sending the smoke hurling at all the pathetic creatures on the ground, she seen in the distance that the shoopufs began to panic even more and run toward the Djose Temple. 'Perfect, that kid and his companions are in their paths!' Lukka's thoughts began to resonate 'You think they will be trampled by the shoopufs? You are, dare I say it, dead wrong!' "Silence pest!"

Jecht

It seemed like ages while Vadina was passed out, but Jecht decided to stay there until he awoke. Maytan allowed them to rest on the temple grounds, since the temple itself was off limits due to damages. The three shoopufs had seemed to take on a new demeanor and guard the entrance to the temple area. Jecht looked over to Shinra and Payido, they were huddled together whispering about something, he couldn't make it out. He was about to head over to them when Vadina stirred and yawned. "Hey. How are you feeling?" He asked him.

Vadina openned his eyes and looked at him with a broad smile. "Hey. I'm feeling great, arm is a little stiff but it doesn't hurt. How long was I out?" Jecht returned the smile feeling really relieved that Vadina was awake and no longer in pain. "Glad to hear it. I was starting to worry about you, you were out for hours." "Good evening young man." Maytan was behind Jecht looking at Vadina with admiration, which caused Vadina to blush. Jecht got irritated by the look on the Al Bhed man's face and was about to snap at him when Shinra and Payido walked up. "Hey, kid. How you feeling? You look better." Shinra said smiling, Payido next to him showing relief on her face. "I'm fine now, thanks guys."

Jecht helped his boyfriend stand, he staggered a little bit but once he was on his feet standing didn't seem to be a challenge for him. Maytan walked up closer and put his hands on Vadina's waist and let them linger there before slowly moving his hands downward toward his bottom, Jecht was ready to punch him but Vadina jumped away and said "Woah, buddy. I'm taken, ya? Back up." Maytan nodded and backed several feet away before apologizing. Jecht knew he had rage on his face and he didn't care. "Calm down, babe." Vadina said emploring him with a kiss and whispered into Jecht's ear "He may be hot but I'm not interested, I got a guy that I love." Jecht's face flushed with a deep red color.

Vadina

He pulled away from Jecht's face and smiled broadly when he seen that he got the reaction he wanted from his words. Jecht was always so cute when he blushed. Then Vadina kissed him again, "I love you too." Vadina turned around to look at Maytan and said sharply, "Thank you for letting us stay here until I woke up, no thank you for groping me in front of my boyfriend. Show some tact, some respect, ya?" He turned away from the Al Bhed man's stunned expression "So, we leaving now?"

Shinra looked back and forth between him and Maytan then said "S-sure. You okay to continue on?" Vadina answered immediately "Yes." "Alright then, we leave soon." Maytan said. Everyone looked at him in shock. "We?" Jecht asked. "Yes. That is, if Vadina is okay with it?" Vadina was surprised by that "As long as you leave me and Jecht alone. No touching either of us." "Deal" The man said. "But first, let's get supplies."

It took abount half an hour for them to get all the supplies they needed. They were all set and ready to go, "Just waiting for Maytan." Payido said. Like he heard that they were waiting for him, Maytan walked out of a tent they had pitched for shelter. He changed into a jumpsuit with a v-neck line that plunged below his navel carrying a spear. Vadina was awestruck by the sight but he shook it off and turned to Jecht, who was watching him with disbelief in his eyes. "That is a very unattractive outfit, but the spear. It's kind of cool looking." "Yeah." Vadina replied then took another look at the spear. I was double ended with a rather thorny look to the points and along the shaft, like a rose with barbs instead of a flower at it's ends.

They were still looking at the staff when Maytan reached them and chuckled "I made it myself, practiced with it a lot but never used it in a real fight." Shinra stepped forward, "I hope your practice paid off. We could use another helping hand." "Yes, sir." Maytan replied with a smile then glanced at Jecht with an odd look in his eyes. Vadina grabbed his boyfriend's hand and pulled him close. "Shall we head out then?" Maytan asked, semming to have a hard time pulling his gaze away from Jecht and looking at everyone else. When his eyes met Vadina's his expression shifted so fast it was like a blur. "Yeah. Let's head out." Shinra confirmed.

"Vadina, is something wrong?" Payido asked him in a whisper while they were heading down the path across the bridges. He looked at her and said "Yeah, I just don't trust this guy." Payido grabbed his forearm and stopped him causing Jecht to be halted too, "What's up?" he asked. "Nothing, I just need to talk to Payido for a sec, you go ahead. Ya?" "Okay. Don't take too long, okay?" He replied with a kiss then jogged up to Shinra and started talking to him. When they were sure they were all three out of earshot Payido asked "Why not?" Vadina didn't hesitate "He has an odd vibe about him, ya?" Curiously, Payido looked into his eyes so he channeled his nervousness through them. "They way he thought he could just rub all on me and the look he gave Jecht just before asking to leave." Payido looked toward Maytan and said, not looking at Vadina "You seen it too, then? I thought you had because you keep watching him like you're expecting him to attack."

Maytan

The boy and Shinra were talking about teleportation, as if it were possible. He turned his throught from their conversation and back to his previous visit to the Moonflow. He hoped she wouldn't still be there.

He was sure that Mortima had been long gone after her attack on the people so he came out of his hiding place behind the thick bushes and kept along the path, looking over his shoulder toward the shore that led to Guadosalam where she seemed to have gone. He had finally felt safe enough to look forward when he almost ran into her, Mortima. "Hello." She said with a grin, he gaped. "What, did I scare you?" He stammered "I-I-I thought you had gone after everyone was d-d-dead." She raised her hand to her mouth and chuckled softly "And left you here, alive? No. I'm going to kill you, unless you can convince me otherwise." She finish with a sigh.

He was shocked, "How can I convince you to spare my life, madam?" He managed with a stiff bow. "Well, that is up to you." "A-anything, my lady." Her eyes flashed and she grinned, "Oh, I like you. Since you are so generous, I'll give you options." He strightened his posture and looked at her, feeling hope swell in his chest. "Options?" she put her hand on his cheek and and looked him in the eyes. "Well. Option one, Gratify me. Option two, help me find what I'm looking for. Or, option three, be my spy." He was flustered.

After a moment of thought he finally decided to get more details about his options. Starting with the first one. "What manner of gratification do you require?" She laughed, "Well, silly man, I haven't had a physical body in millinia. So my desires are amplified." He felt disgusted but hid the expression. Instead, he bowed deeply and said "I do apologize, my lady, but I cannot gratify you in that way. I am a man of very particular tastes, and my taste is for other men." Her eyes flashed "That may work to my advantage. What say you?" Maytan slightly shook his head, he seen her expression become dangerous and he quickly clarified. "I would like to know the specifics of all my options. Please, my lady." bowing again, he thought he woud prolong his inevitible death by asking for the details. It was like walking on thin ice. "I give you three options to live and still you want clarification. Why is that?" He struggled to put his thoughts in order, she sounded pissed. Considering what best to say he decided the right words, the words that would allow him to live longer. "I ask so I know how best to serve you, my lady." He felt the chill in the air vaporize, leaving warmth. "Oh, I do so like you, what was your name?" "Maytan, your majesticness." "Do you always talk with praise?" She asked him, He felt the air shift more. She must be getting tired of him speaking formally to her. "My apologies." He paused, waiting for warth to set into the air again, still bowing to her. "What are you needing help finding?" She rolled her eyes, making her look very teenager like. "Were you not listening before I laid waste to everyone?" He racked his brain, "So you are wanting assistance finding your daughter's bloodline. I'm afraid, since the Farplane is a barren land, as you've said, that leaves Bevelle's archives as the only way to find any answers to that. Again, you have my apologies." Mortima looked at him with serenity, "Very well then, Maytan. I will make my way to Bevelle and look through every book, bloodline, census and whatever else I must. I will find my Daughter's descends." "I guess since I can't help you with the first option and already helped with the second option. That leaves the third options." Maytan said. "You are right, so you must be my spy."

"Mortima? What is it you wish me to spy for you?" Maytan asked curiously. "I need you to spy on a boy and his companions. The one's I warned you about days ago at Ixion's Temple on the Djose Highroad. Were they there when you came here for whatever purpose you had?" Mortima said matter-of-factly. "No, they were not. My guess is that they may there by now. Or at least on their way here. The Shoopufs you frightened may have trampled them." "Highly unlikely that they got trampled, they are too stubborn to die." Mortima said with disgust. "Well, I think you should head to the temple. If the Shoopufs got there then your people may be trampled, building may be crumbled. It's likely that the kid and his companions went there to aid them. Meet them there, spy on them and inform me of their plans." She finished. Confused, he asked. "How will I inform you?" "You are Al Bhed, you will find a way." Mortima said and turned toward the water to glide across it.

Back in the present, Maytan shook his head when Jecht waved his hand in his face, "Hey, you okay?" he asked. "Yeah, I'm fine. I'm just hoping Mortima is no longer at the Moonflow. From what everyone was saying to answer her questions she seems to be heading for Bevelle to look for anyone who may be her descendants." Maytan replied nonchalantly. "Actually, Vadina is a-" "Black Mage, like his mother wh Mortima murdered in cold blood." The other Al Bhed guy, Shinra was his name, interrupted the boy mid sentence and rested a hand on his shoulder and gave him a look that Jecht seemed to understand clearly, "That's what I was about to say. He's really strong too, you should have seen him help me freeze the water at Mushroom Rock Beach, frozen solid. He also froze over an arch way on the way here." Jecht's excitement faded like he was remembering something sad. Maytan was very impressed and he looked at the other boy, gorgeous, yet manly. He would expect him to be a fighter not a magic weilder. Vadina looked forward at him from beside Payido, a look of distrust on his face. 'Great, only one that trusts me is Jecht, not good. Mortima will kill me if she doesn't get any info from him.' He thought as they started down the path toward the Moonflow.

Shinra

He had to stop Jecht from speaking about Vadina's lineage, he didn't trust this Maytan, unsure why though. Shinra has always followed his gut, it never once lead him wrong. He watched the man look back at Vadina, the look he received told him that he wasn't alone in not trusting him. Payido looked up at him and had a sheepish smile, guess she didn't trust him either, beautiful and smart. Shinra had to get through to Jecht, he seemed to like the guy. Not good.

"Maytan, were there anymore Shoopufs left at the Moonflow?" Shinra asked, lacking true curiosity. "No, those were the only three that seemed to survive the stampede. Any idea how to get across without a Shoopuf?" the man replied with a question of his own. "Actually, I do. If you don't mind waiting a bit for our ride to arrive." Maytan shrugged, "As long as I don't have to swim. Never learned how to." "You don't know how to swim?" Vadina asked in disbelief. "No. Parents died while I was still young, no one was around to teach me how." "Awe, I'm so sorry." Payido said with sincerity on her face. "It's okay, I don't even remember how they died. Just that it was an accident."

"How old are you, Maytan?" Jecht asked. "I'm twenty-one years old. How old are you?" Jecht blushed, "I'm only sixteen." "And I'm eighteen." Vadina said with a grin. Maytan turned toward Shinra and Payido and openned his mouth to ask them how old they were "Don't be rude." Payido shot at him, Shinra laughed "Older than you, for sure."

There was no talking for a bit after that. As they walked down the path, Shinra felt an ominous presence around them. "Brace yourselves, there's something here." He heard groaning and smirked. Up ahead, he seen Pyreflies swarming together. In the swarm he seen a shape begin to take form. "What is it?" Jecht said walking up beside him with his sword drawn, he held it like his parents held their swords. Smirking again he said "I fiend, there must have been a lot of death up there." "There was, she killed everyone." Maytan said stepping up with his spear. "Ready? It may be difficult to bring it down, it keeps getting bigger. Let's see what you can do Maytan." Payido said.

Vadina

He tossed the onion knight into the air where he allowed it to float when he was preparing to fight then turned his head to Payido, "You think my arm is healed enough to take this off?" He raised his arm and she nodded, smiling and he conjured fire to burn it away, then focused the flame on the arrow, embuing it. "Try shooting this when it's done forming." He said and grinned big and handed the warm arrow to Payido who knocked it in her bow and readied to shoot it. The swarm finally stopped molding the fiend, it was truly frighting to see, it was like a twisted version of a Haunt wraith it was bigger and more spined and legs that looked more like spikes. "What kind of fiend is it?" Jecht asked sounding scared, Vadina walked up beside him and grabbed his hand. "Payido, try that arrow now." He called over his shoulder.

There was a twomp noise as she released the arrow, is soared with a blazing trail behind it, when it hit it's target there was a massive explosion. Vadina felt Jecht pull his hand away as he jumped into the air and landed with the sword's blade buried in the ground. A light exploded around them and the fire from the explosion crashed into it and went around them. When the explosion settled Vadina saw the grass, trees and even dirt was on fire. The fiend still standing there glowing with fire it seemed to absorb. "What the hell?" Vadina said, he was bewildered and looked behind him at Payido, she was just as shocked. He seen her knock another arrow and aim again, she glanced at him and he focused Ice on the arrow, maybe it will have the opposite effect that his fire did. She sighted the fiend again and fired the arrow. The fiend raised it's arm and shot fire at the arrow, melting it. The fiend focused on Payido and begain to run at her. It moved super fast.

Jecht pulled the sword out of the ground and spun in place, tripping it. It tumbled toward Payido but Shinra snapped his whip around it's body and slung it back. "Focus on me!" He shouted at it. I paid him no attention and went for her again. Cadina jumped in it's view and called ice to freeze it's feet in place, given the shape the fiend just slipped it's feet out of it, then started glowing white with frost coming off of it in waves. He understood how the fiend worked, then shouted, "It changes to whatever element it comes in contact with, my magic is no good, I'll just complicate the fight!"

Jecht ran up to it with Shinra right behind him, the two of them began to ripple and the teleported slashing and lashing away at the fiend, it shieked as bits of it fell off with every slash and every lash from the two, Maytan jumped up into the air and spun his spear like a propeler, he was causing the wind to spiral around him, the smoke from the flames around them showed as much then he came crashing down onto the fiend, it shattered. When the smoke cleared Maytan was knelt in it's place, on top of the crystalized crumbs. "That wasn't so bad." He said with a cocky smile. "Dont get to cocky, Maytan. It didn't erupt into Pyrflies, its not done yet." The pieces melted then puddled in front of him, taking on the fiend's form again. "I suggest you move now." Shinra finished.

When the fiend was almost done reforming Vadina got an idea. He focused on water and pouring rain, he felt the air dampen around them. The fiend stood before them all again and he let the rain he conjured fall, he called wind to focus it on the fiend, if it's made of ice and the water is cold enough he might be able to cause it to freeze in a single position. As the fiend was surrounded by the water, Shinra asked "What are you doing? It's just going to adopt the properties of the two elements." "Just watch and wait for my signal." He replied, confidently. His idea worked, so far. The fiend was frozen like a statue a few moments later, he then focused on keeping the air chilled around the fiend. "Maytan, give Shinra a boosting jump into the air. Jecht, help him out." They did so when Shinra was airborn Vadina shot wind up to him to allow greater height. "Jecht, teleport up above him." As Jecht appeared overhead. "Shinra, help him with momentum!" He slung his whip up and Jecht grabbed it, and spun around in a circle. Vadina Called fire and focused it on Jecht's sword. "Now! Release!" He saw Jecht shoot downward, shimmering. Then Jecht added to the idea unexpectadly, he pirouetted and his sword erupted with balls of purple enegy, they sank into the fiend, it rippled then Jecht crashed into it sword first with a huge explosion. The fiend shatteredand the shards changed into Pyreflies. Within the cloud of colors Vadina seen Jecht stand up and spread his arms wide, the Pyreflies responded by spiraling toward him "Go now, in peace." He heard his say. They shot up into the sky and vanished.

When Vadina looked back at Jecht, he was glowing and smiling broadly with his shirt half torn off, sexy. "Th-that was awesome!" He said panting then he ran up to Vadina and hugged him. "Good job, babe." he replied with a kiss. "You got nice moves to, Maytan." Shinra said, clapping him on the shoulder and smiling. "How did you make the arrow explode, Payido?" He turned to her marveling. "I didn't, Vadina did. Guess he was really dying to try it." She said laughing "It worked out awesomely." Jecht said. Vadina blushed deeply. "Well, I could use a rest. Can we get to the Moonflow and relax before-" Vadina cut off, "Shinra, what's our ride across the Moonflow?" He smirked, "You'll see."

Jecht

That was the mosst exciting fight against a fiend he had ever had. It was especially cool how Vadina used it's own adaptation against it and how he took charge after he said his magic was 'useless'. As for the Pyreflies, he thought about consuming them like Mortima but decided to send them off. "Woah! I just realized, I performed a sending!" "Yes you did, how did you do it?" Shinra asked. "I don't know, I just told them to go in peace and they left." Shinra grabbed his chin, "Intriguing, you are truly powerful, seems like you can control Pyreflies on a whim. You are much like your mother, maybe stronger." Jecht became very giddy. He enjoyed learning new things about himself. "Vadina, you are also very intriguing. You managed to channel three different elements at once on top of imbuing elemental properties on other's weapons, Payido's arrows and Jecht's sword. It was a very smart idea to use the fiend's element against it, after learning how it worked. And as I recall, from Lady Yuna's tories, your mother couldn't make her dolls float, she had to set the down to help her cast. You had it floating while casting your flurry of spells." Jecht looked at Vadina, proudly. When they made eye contact Vadina, who was already blushing, turned a darker shade of red. You are both very fascinating and gifted young boys, and you're just teenagers?" Maytan said "Thanks." They said together, both blushing.

When they reached the shore of the Moonflow, they all sighed deeply and sat down, except for Shinra, he walked off to make a phone call, likely to Pacce and Hana. He watched Shinra speaking into the commphone about bringing something to cross the Moonflow, so Pacce must be bringing the Zu-M, just to take them across? Why not just go all the way to Bevelle and head Mortima off? While he was wondering that, Maytan came to sit beside him and Vadina. "So, how you boys doing? You out did yourselves a lot during the fight. You must be very exhausted." he said. "A bit, that's why we are resting here. Well also waiting for whatever means Shinra has for us crossing the to the other shore." Jecht looked over to Shinra again, his back was turned to them. "How about you?" Vadina asked. "Me? I'm fine. Thanks for asking." He replied with a friendly smile.

They talked for a little bit longer until Shinra walked back over. "Shinra. If Pacce is bringing the Zu-M to take us across the Moonflow, why not have him take us to Bevelle?" Shinra smiled broadly "Pacce wanted to join back with us. Besides, Vadina wanted to go to the Farplane. Right? Or has that changed?" "Actually, Mortima said that it was barran." Maytan chimed. Vadina jumped up "What? What of my mother? I was going there to talk to her! It can't be barran! Where would the Pyreflies go that Jecht sent earlier?" Jecht hugged him. "Calm down, okay?" Payido said also hugging him. "We will go check for ourselves." "We have to!" Vadina cut Shinra off.

While they were discussing what to do next Jecht heard a strange buzzing noise. and looked up the river. "Is that, a boat?" He asked, "No, it's moving much too fast." Maytan said readying his spear for another fight. "Relax. It is a type of boat. I built it myself from blueprints I found in a Zanarkand history book. Apparently, Zanarkand citizens enjoyed moving fast." Jecht blinked "But father never mentioned them, just Blitzball." Vadina chuckled "Like my dad, ya? Obsessed with Blitz." Jecht's shoulders began to shake as he held in his laughter.

They were still laughing when Pacce pulled up in the boat, "Hey boss, boys, ma'am. You guys ready to go?" "Hey Pacce. Ready when they all are." Shinra replied. Pacce looked at Maytan and held out his hand, "I'm Pacce. Nice to meet you." He took the offered hand and replied "I'm Maytan, it's a pleasure." Jecht seen Pacce look at Shinra with an unsure look. "What's up, Pacce? Is there enough room for all six of us?" Pacce smiled and said, "Oh there is. It's just going to be a little cramped is all." Then started grabbing the bags. "Now that everything is on the boat, lets al try to fit, shall we?" Shinra said, enthusiastically. "Well let's get going." Jecht said, hopping into the boat.


End file.
